Social Media for Business – Establishing Effective Structure

With the explosion of high speed internet and the social media scene, businesses that aren’t getting in will most certainly be put out. It is important to exhaust all possible resources – especially free ones – in order to expand a business, connect with customers, and be more productive.

Free advertising is a blessing that is hard to come by, and the use of social media networks as advertisements is particularly helpful and cost-effective. However, businesses often do not spend the time and resources on social media properly, and instead they find that their work becomes fruitless and a waste of time. There are several key points needed for establishing an effective structure for using social media for business, including more effort on a few accounts, a solid relationship with the people who view their pages, and a willingness to try new things.

Focus is Paramount

Those in charge of running social media endeavors should appreciate what concentrating on less accounts can do for them. There’s no need to have multiple accounts on every social media network. Oftentimes, businesses think that their social media structure should reflect that of the company: one account for every division, team, leader, project, and so on and so forth until you have 100 or more diluted and ineffective accounts. Instead, create one Facebook account, one Twitter account and one YouTube account, and keep those accounts updated frequently. People who view those well-kept pages will think much more highly of that business than if the business would have made several accounts that aren’t maintained regularly.

When people are attracted to a Facebook or Twitter page, they are more likely to come back, and as a result, learn more about the business. After all, growing knowledge and awareness of the business is exactly what people want when they use social media pages. There are several instances of businesses that really took off because of their social media exploits. All one needs to do to understand this is to look at their net profits from month to month, and one will see that they are still growing.

Building a relationship with those who view the pages of the business is a very crucial aspect of using social media to help a business. When people view a business page, they want updated content. They also want discussions and two-way feedback from the people who run the page. If a person with high speed internet goes to a page and knows their questions will be answered in a timely manner and their suggestions will be taken seriously, they will be much more likely to return to the page, and in turn, pay attention to the business. Ideally, the social media accounts of businesses should be more aimed towards gaining attention and forming relationships than full blown marketing.

Essentially, social media is the ultimate marketing tool when used correctly. Having 9 trillion followers on Twitter may seem like a good thing, but as a business it is important to grow steadily, interact with those that are already interested in you, and allow your current followers to help expand your following (snowball down a hill, that sort of thing).

Finally, a page of variety and fluidity can only help a business’ social media experience. A smart idea is to make questions that invite thoughtful answers, putting ideas to votes, making videos about the business, where people can see a person talking directly to them, adding relevant photos, and other visual aids.

People are more likely to become interested in a business if they associate it with some kind of picture or voice. Why do children know and understand where McDonald’s is? They know what the golden arches look like. A business using social media pages needs to create an identity, and further, an image off of that identity.

Today’s guest blog post was contributed by Blake Sanders, who writes about technology at broadband comparison site Broadband Expert and specializes in internet service providers, cell phones, and the latest in high speed internet news and information. If you too would like to submit a guest blog post to this site, please contact Windmill Networking.

The Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Maximize Social Business, Neal Schaffer is a leader in helping businesses and professionals strategically maximize their use of social media. Neal is the author of three social media books, including the recently published definitive social media strategy book Maximize Your Social. Forbes lists him as a Top 35 Social Media Power Influencer and AdAge lists his blog, Maximize Social Business (formerly known as Windmill Networking), as a top 100 global marketing blog. Neal provides social media strategy consulting and coaching, having worked with Fortune 500 companies and a Grammy-award winning musician. He has presented worldwide on social media at more than 150 events and also teaches social media marketing at Rutgers University. +Neal Schaffer

About Neal Schaffer

The Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Maximize Social Business, Neal Schaffer is a leader in helping businesses and professionals strategically maximize their use of social media. Neal is the author of three social media books, including the recently published definitive social media strategy book Maximize Your Social. Forbes lists him as a Top 35 Social Media Power Influencer and AdAge lists his blog, Maximize Social Business (formerly known as Windmill Networking), as a top 100 global marketing blog. Neal provides social media strategy consulting and coaching, having worked with Fortune 500 companies and a Grammy-award winning musician. He has presented worldwide on social media at more than 150 events and also teaches social media marketing at Rutgers University. +Neal Schaffer